There is no value in digital products. Absolutely none, you can copy them, reproduce them, mix them and offer them to be downloaded and shared. Unless people understand that there is no money coming from their products, there will always be the fight we are seeing right now. Music/Film industry versus some mid-aged digital pirates sharing their products. I can understand every artist who hates people downloading his stuff, but truth to be told, it’s the fault of the industry. Offering shallow artists a way to broadcast their message towards millions of people was never good! There were simply enough kids who did not know better and bought all the bullshit stuff! Those kids don’t have to buy it nowadays, they will simply hit the internet, download it, listen to it 5 times and get another bunch of songs, ultimately to be sued by some kind of industry who gives a rats ass about the fans. Everybody else stops tripping on the bullshit music once they discover their own taste in music. The problem we face though, is that this mentality has hit every other creative industry as well.
The old business model is outdated
The old business model is simply no good anymore, people are sick of buying stuff they can create with a blank CD and some MP3s themselves. Why should you buy a CD? To support the artist, yep, that’s about the only thing. You could probably simply send some money to the artist via paypal or wire transfer and be better off. At least you would be sure that he receives the money. Noone cares about artists! People simply want their cool products, and a lot of them don’t want to pay for something that can be easily reproduced.
Offer value instead of products
In case you want to sell digital products such as e-books or programs, forget about it unless you target companies or have a bigger picture behind your marketing efforts. There is short term profit, but actually you should sell a service that offers more than a simple product. Why do you think should the average Joe buy something he can get for free? Think about adding additional value, and use the standard edition as promotion or marketing. You want people to buy your product so you have enough money to make ends meet(if those ends are a Sports-car or whatever, so be it)! Joe does not care about your needs, he wants something for his money, so you better offer some additional value. A special edition, unique prints with signature, something that will have value in the future!
Digital mass Products are marketing
Digital Products are nothing more than marketing. The costs for online products are extremely low, and people can even go on the dark side and share your stuff without costs. If you compare the real value of a creation process with the value of a digital product, the digital product will always kill your profit margin. There is no value in an item that can be copied without the loss of quality, everything you can get for that is a compensation for your efforts or some goodwill spending. Think of your digital products as a marketing product instead of something you will make a lot of money with. Share your digital products with private users and charge companies who want to use them Out aim should always be a big audience and influence. Use your Creation to build a fan-base that pays for unique items & promotes your stuff freely.
Do what you love
First of all, if you are in this creative business you should either do what you love, or do what you have to do(some people are forced to express themselves creatively). In case you are into this there is usually the urge to create. Simply create and do what you love, follow the true artist’s spirit. Earning money with the creative industries has been the save road for the feint hearted who did not dare to enter the art circus. There will always be a need for designers, creatives and people who create stuff, but you have to measure up against people who care less than you and create something unique. The mediocre creatives will starve, there is simply no room for overpriced products on a market where everything can be outsourced.
Unique things have value
Whatever you do, it has to be unique, or at least have your signature on it, otherwise it’s worthless. Sounds harsh, but it’s simple as that. This is what makes stock art & photography possible. Devalue your work and compete with the amateurs if you are up to it. Be aware that you compete with people who do it for fun and earn their main income with something else. They don’t need the money, so they can compete cheaply!
There are loads of artists making a good living with their works, even street artists who do not charge their creations on the public walls. You have to find a model to monetize your efforts in case you want to make a living out of it. Creative works can be easily reproduced and have little to no value, as long as the living expenses for people around the globe differ widely. If you want to go the creative road nowadays you have to face the brutal truth, there are loads of people from other countries charging less and working harder. There are people who want your stuff for free and will not spend a dime on your works and go for people who think promotion will pay the bills. Outsourcing & no material value are the poisons of the creative industry. Make sure that your works, no matter what you do, have an additional value attached to it that can not be digitally reproduced if you want to charge for it, otherwise there will always be someone sharing it or picking the cheaper alternative!
It’s just that I can’t stand it anymore and I will abandon my RSS reader I guess, or cut it down to 10 subscriptions at max. Edit: As I found out, I could not go any lower than 21 subscriptions without quitting my rss reader completly. Let’s see if this will help reducing the visual overkill.
